Follow along with these students on social media as they cover Democratic presidential candidates campaigning in Iowa leading up to the state's caucuses on Monday, Feb. 3.
This is part of a series of articles highlighting Elon students as they gain experience studying abroad during Winter Term. Stay tuned for more posts featuring the experiences of Elon students in their own words.
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A group of Elon students is experiencing the 2020 presidential contest firsthand this month as they visit Iowa to learn more about the state’s caucuses as part of a Winter Term Study USA program.
Every presidential election year, Elon offers “Iowa: The Trail Starts Here,” a program that is providing more than two dozen students with the experience of covering the candidates or working for their campaigns as they appeal to Iowa voters at the Iowa Steak Fry, county fairs and locations around the state. Before heading west, students prepared for the program by learning about the unique Iowa caucuses and the role they can play in narrowing the field of candidates.
“You can read about it in newspapers or books but to really understand presidential politics, you have to go to Iowa,” said Rich Landesberg, associate professor of journalism, who is leading the program with Mark Dalhouse, director for global experiential initiatives and assistant professor. “This is “retail politics” at its best…where people who see themselves as the next president of the united states go door-to-door to shake hands and tell voters why they are the best person for the job. For students to be able to talk with these candidates and ask them questions is something few people get to experience.”
The group is split into two groups — journalism and campaigning. Students have chosen to either work on a campaign of their choice or follow candidates and gain journalism experience. You can follow along with their experiences by reading posts to their blog for the program, available here – https://eloniowatrail.travel.blog/. Articles written by students will also be published by Elon News Network – https://www.elonnewsnetwork.com/.
Students will also be sharing about their experiences on social media, with many using the hashtag #ElonInIowa. Want to follow along on Twitter? Here are some of the accounts to turn to:
@eisneremery (Twitter)